Wirebound-box-blank machine



' Sept, 29, 1925.

' E. CRAIG WIREBOUND BOX BLANK MACHI NE Filed April 17, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,188

E. CRAlG WIREBGUND BOX BLANK MACHINE .Filed April 17. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 29, 1925.

E2. CHAR;

WIREBOUND BOX BLANK MACHINE: v

. Filed April 17, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Iii/@7550? Edward Craig Sept. 29, 1925. 51,555,188

E. CRAIG WIREBOUND BOX BLANK MACHINE.

[Filed April 17. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 so 1 J2 e 2/ Hr -54 112 113 i'iumni'qr- Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD CRAIG, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO SARANAC AUTOMATIC MA- CHINE CORPORATION, O]? BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

WIREBOUND-BO'X-BLANK MACHINE.

Application filed April 17, 1922.

To (all 1.0710022 it may concern Be it known that I, EDYVARD CRAIG, a citizen of the United States and a resident of St. Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Virebound-Box-Blank Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire bound box machinery of that kind in which means are provided for securing cleats and sheet material together, with parallel binding wires attached thereto, in order to form the flexible blanks from which wire bound boxes are made. These blanks, when completed, are ied together by the binding wires, inasmuch as the latter are fed continuously to the upper surface of the blanks, by the staplers, so that each blank is connected by the binding wires to the next or following blank. Qonsequently, unless the blanks are cut apart, they will come out of the machine connected together, and some inconvenience will be experienced in cutting them apart, if this is done merely by hand. Therefore, it has been proposed to provide means for automatically cutting the blanks apart before they leave the machine in which the blanks are made, or at about the time that the blanks are discharged from the machine. Devices have been used for this purpose, in various forms, and it is old to automatically cut the binding Wll'GS while the blanks are being discharged from the machine, or afterward, by cutters of various kinds.

Generally stated, therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of wire cutter adapted to cooperate with the box blank making machine for the'purpose of automatically severing the binding wires and thereby disconnecting the blanks from each other, at about the time that they are leaving the machine, thus obviating the necessity of cutting the blanks apart by hand; to provide an improved wire cutting device adapted more especially for operation in conjunction with certain elements of the box blank making machine, whereby the use of certain features of construction and methods of operation heretofore considered necessary are avoided and rendered unnecessary; and to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efliciency and the desirability of a wire cut- Serial No. 554,346.

ting arrangement for a box blank, machine of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which, i

Fig. 1 is a rear end elevation of a wire bound box blank machine having wire cutting devices embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating a different form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the cutting devices. i

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the adjustable means for limiting the downward stroke of the cutting devices.

Fig. 7 is a plan view, on a diflerent scale, of a portion of the machine, showing certain elements removed and one portion in section.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 7, showing some of the elements omitted therefrom, and showing one portion in vertical section.

Fig. 9 is a rear side elevation of the construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8, showing certain portions in section.

As thus illustrated, the wire bound box blank machine shown and described, embodying the wire cutting means involving the principles of the invention, comprises a suitable machine body 1 upon which are suitably mounted the parallel and longitudinally extending guides'2 for the endless link belts 3 which feed the cleats and sheet material under the staplers 4:, which latter are operated by the cam mechanism 5 in any suitable or desired manner. Said link belts 3 have feed dogs or blocks 6 provided with engaging portions 7 to feed cleats of the blank along the parallel guides 2, and provided with upstanding portions 8 to engage the rear edges of the sheet material, such as the sheet material 9 shown in Fig. 4, whereby the cleats and the strips or sheets resting thereon move intermittently forward below said staplers. The binding wires 10 for the blanks are fed from the overhead reels 11, in the usual and well known manner, while the wire 12 for forming the staples is fed to the staplers from the reels 13 in the usual or any suitable or desired manner. VVit-h this arrangement, the blanks travel in the direction indicated by the arrow in 2, as well as by the arrow shown in Fig. 4, and are slightly raised by the disks 14 before leaving the machine, these disks being mounted on the shaft 15 which carries the sprocket wheels 16 for the feed belts 3 previously mentioned. At about the time that the blanks are raised outof engagement with the feed belts by the disks 14-, as shown in Fig. 4-, the binding wires 10 are cut in the space between the blank which is just leaving the machine and the one immediatelybehind, so that no cutting of the binding wires afterward is necessary, the blanks leaving the machine successively and after being separated one from the other.

The devices for cutting the binding wires 10 include a. transverse rock shaft 17 supported transversely over the horizontal plane of the blanks or other work, in bearings 18 suitably mounted on the body frame, this shaft being preferably provided with a hand lever 19 at one end thereof, so that it can be rocked by hand when necessary, as well as automatically, as will hereinafter more fully appear. Adjustably mounted upon this shaft 17 are the ledger blades 20, there being one of these for each binding wire, the construction shown and described calling for four binding wires, obviously, two along the side edges of the blank, and two at the middle portion of the blank. in the usual and well known manner. Upon each ledger blade 20 a shearing blade 21 is pivoted at 22, these blades having removable cutting edges 23 which can be removed for the purpose of repair or substitution. Divided swivel blocks 24 re mount-ed on the shearing blades 21, these blocks being internally threaded to engage the transverse and externally threaded connecting rod 25, whereby these blades 21 all swing or work in unison. An adjustable screw 26 is provided on the body frame, to engage the back of at least one of the ledger blades 20, as shown in Fig. 6, thereby to variably limit the rocking motion of the shaft 17 which causes the cutting blades to move downward into the space between two successive blanks. It will be observed that the feeding motion of the previously mentioned feed belts 3 produced by a ratchet wheel 27 on the shaft 15, and by a ratchet dog 23 which engages this ratchet wheel, said dog being mounted on the swinging arm 29, the latter being mounted on said shaft. An adjustable pitman 30 connects the arm 29 with the bell crank 31, which latter is pivoted on the body frame at 32, so that rocking of this bell crank causes the ratchet devices to intermittently operate the shaft 15, 'so-that the belts 3 are given he desired intermittent feeding motion. For the purpose of rocking the belt crank 31, it is connected by a pitman 33 with the eccentric device 3 on the shaft which supports and operates the previously mentioned eccentric means 5 for actuating the staplers, which latter form and drive the staples in any suitable or desired manner while the feed belts 3 are standing still. It will be seen that the pitman 30 has a rigid arm 36 near its upper end, and an extension 3'? of said arm, the latter having a roller 38 at its upper end to engage the curved arm 39 on the rock shaft 17 previously mentioned. When the pitman 30 moves upward, the roller 38 strikes the arm 39 and rocks the shaft 1? to lift the cutting blades 20 and 21 out of the space between the blanks. An arm is rigidly secured on the rock shaft 1'? and is provided at its lower end with a. hook 11 to engage the pivoted latch 42, the latter being pivoted at 13 on the body frame to swing in a horizontal plane. A rdller 14: is mounted on one end of the latch 42 in position to engage cams 45 on certain of the blocks 6 which are mounted on the feed belt. A spring as is attached to the latch 42 in position to engage a portion 4.7, whereby this spring is compressed when the cam 45 strikes the roller 44, and the hook 11 is released to permit rocking of the shaft 17 to bring the cutting devices into the space between the bianks. A spring 4-8 serves to draw the cutting devices down into the space between the blanks, this spring being applied in any suitable or desired manner, as, for example, between the arm 10 and the bar 19 upon which the staple wire feeding devices are mounted. A vertically disposed rock shaft 50 is mounted in a hearing 51 at the side of the body frame, and is provided at its upper end with an arm 52 and at its lower end with an arm 53, disposed at angles in the manner shown. The lower arm 53 is in position to be engaged by the end portion 54 of the previous ly mentioned arm 36 when the latter is drawn backward by the pitman 30, whereby the upper arm 52 is moved inward upon every downward stroke of said pitman. i i hen the cutting devices are released by engagement of the cam 45 with the roller 44, in the manner explained, the previously mentioned connecting roc is brought (ll-- rectly. in line with the upper arm 52 so that the latter engages the end of the rod 2:" and thereby actuates all of the shearing blades 21 of said cutters, thus cutting the four binding wires simultaneously. The cam 15 having moved onward, the roller 44 is disengaged, and the spring 46 throws the latch 42 outward and the roller 38 then engages the arm 39, and rocks the shaft 17, and raises-the cutting devices out of the space between the two blanks. The hook 4-1, at this time, moves downward and is reengaged by the latch 42, in the manner shown, thus again locking the wire cutting mechanism in normal position. The cutting means occupy this normal position until another cam engages the roller 44, where upon the cutting operation will be repeated. It will be understood, of course, that the cams 45 are not provided on each and every block or feeding dog 6 on the belts, but only on such blocks as occupy a position at or adjacent to the spaces between the blanks, so that the cutting devices are moved downward into said spaces to sever the four wires centrally between the blanks, so that the wire ends will be substantially of equal length on the two blanks. Springs and 56 are attached respectively to the rod 25 and the arm 52, from a point on top of one of the bearings 18, in order to yieldingly hold said rod and said arm-in normal position.

Thus the wire cutting means are not controlled in any way by the blanks or the work, as no control is exercised by anything which engages the blank materials. The cutting mechanism is held in normal position, and locked in such position, and is unlocked and released by means carried by the feed belt 3 at one side of the machine, .it being understood that there is one of these belts at each side of the machine, the two belts being spaced apart a distance necessary or desirable for the blanks to be made. Of course, so far as the method of operating the shearing blades 21 by the rod 25, through the medium of the back stroke of the ratchet feed arm 38, as previously explained, the cutting devices can be held in raised position by a roller 57 mounted on the lower end of an arm secured at its upper end to the rock shaft 17 upon which all of the cutting devices are also mounted or carried in the manner explained. This roller can ride on the tops of the box blanks, thus holding the cutting devices in raised position until the roller drops off at the rear edge of the blank, and then the cutting devices will be operated in the manner explained. In such case, however, the cutting devices would not be operated by their downward movement into the space between the blanks, but would simply be operated by the back stroke of the ratchet 'l'eed arm 38, and by nothing else. Of course, should the roller 57 be employed, the latch and the hook 41, the roller 44 and the cams 4-5 could be omitted, as they would not be necessary. Preferably, however, these elements are employed to normally hold the cutting devices in raised position, so that nothing will drag or rest on the tops of the blanks to hold the cutters in raised position, and in this way the operation of the wire cutting means is entirely under the control of the traveling feed belts 3, or at least one of them, :o that the ires will be cut at certain predetermined points, as for example midway between the two blanks, regardless of the length of the blanks and regaZ-Jdless of the width of the spaces between the blanks. With the roller 57, it is obvious that wider spacing between the blanks might result in the cutting of the wires closer to the edge of one blank than the other, and this might not be desirable. Therefore, to insure cutting at predetermined points in each wire, or at predetermined points between the edges of two adjacent blanks, regardless of the size or width of the space between the blanks, it is desirable to lock the cutting devices in raised position, and to release them by means located at definite predetermined points on at least one of the endless chains or feed belts which propel or move the work along in a horizontal plane to carry the blanks below the staplers, which latter then insert staples to secure the wires to the sheet material and cleats, in the well known manner. Obviously, if the wires are to be cut at predetermined points, the downward movement of the cutting devices into the space between the blanks must be positive and quick and prompt in character, for if there is any lagging or improper action the wires will not be out at predetermined points therein, and, therefore, it is one feature of the invention that the cutting means are positively moved into the space between the blanks by the spring i8, or by spring means applied in any suitable or desired manner, so that the throat of the cutting edges of each cutter strikes the binding wire sharply and quickly upon the release of the cutting means from the elevated or raised position thereof, as-

soon as the latch 4-2 releases the hook 4:1, in the manner previously explained; and, of course, the operation of the arm 52 is timed to strike the end of the rod at just the right moment to cut all of the wires simultaneously at the said predetermined points in the length thereof. The rod 25 is rotatable to vary the positions of the shearing blades 21, to obtain the desired cutting action, and the cutters are all laterally adjustable on the rock shaft 17 to vary the distance between them in accordance with the width of the blanks to be made, and in accordance with the position of the binding wires 10 on the blanks.

While the machine shown and described is adapted to feed cleats along below the sheets 9, in the well known manner, it is obvious that the cutting devices can be used in the making of blanks with or without the cleats. hen cleats are employed for the blanks, they will slide up the inclines 59 provided at the ends of the guides 2, so that the cleats will ride over the roller 14. in addition, of course, as previously explained, the blanks are thrown up a distance by the disks 14:, so that the blanks disengage or clear themselves while being discharged from the machine, and are not caught and held by anything which would tend to interfere with them in their free dis charge from the rear end of the machine. Of course, the binding wires do not entirely limit the downward motion of the cutting blades, inasmuch as the previously mentioned screw 26 serves this purpose, and ad ;ustable to permit the cutting means to move either a little fart-her downward or perha not as far downward as would be necessary for some purposes, when the sizes or dimensions of the blanks are changed, it being understood that a ho blank machine this kind is usually adjustable for the axing ot' blanks of different sizes.

Inasmuch as the arm is actuated by the back stroke of the arm 58, it follows that the actuation of the cutting means to sever the binding wires is dependent upon the intermissions in the forward feeding motion of the blank materials. ()n the other hand, of course, the automatic raising of the wire cutting means into normal position is dependent upon the feeding motion of the work feeding means, as this is done by the forward stroke of the arm "-8 in the man ner explained. One engagement of the roller l l with any cam is suflicient for a single actuation of the binding wire cutting means, in the manner explained, as a single engagement of this kind releases the binding wire cutting means from raised position and is followed immediately by the actuation thereof to sever the binding wires. It will. be seen that the disks 1-!- raise the hinding wires a distance into the cutting devices,

and the cutters not only move down to the wires, but also the wires are raised toward the cutters. Of course, also, the cutters can be raised and lowered by the lever 19, if automatic raising and lowering is not employed, and any suitable means (as by attaching the spring 48 to the lever 19) can be employed to hold the cutters in raised position until the attendant is ready to grasp the lever 19 and move the cutters downward.

Thus each cutting device 20 and 21 is complete in itself, is adapted to move down and grip the wire, and is normally entirely above the plane of the blanks. The rod 25 connects all of the cutting devices together, and hence actuation of this rod is sufficient to operate all of the cutting devices in unison, after said devices have been moved downward a distance. As shown, (see Fig. 4) the actual point at which the wire is cut is some distance above the plane of the up per surface of the blanks traveling under the staplers. This is because the outgoing blank is raised a distance, as shown, and

thus raises the wires to a point somewhat above the horizontal plane which the. wires occupy during the time that they are being stapled to the top surface of the blank. The wires are out between two blanks which are connected together by the wires, so that the blankahead is released from the one behind by the cutting operation. The work feeding means automatically render the wire cutting devices operative, by releasing the wre cutting-devices from their normal or raised position, and it is the work feeding means that then actuate the cutting devices to sever the wires, whereby the cutting devices are operative independently of and without any assistance the staplers. The staplers merely drive the staples to secure the binding wires to the blanks, and to secure the sheets to the cleats, if cleats are used, and the wire cutting devices are con trolled entirely by the work feeding means.

It will be seen that the wire cutting devices 20 and 21 are operated and positively actuated by power communicated thereto from the ratchet mechanism, independently of the feed belts for feeding the blanks under the staplers. When the ratchet device 28 moves backward, which is the back stroke of the ratchet mechanism, the element 54 strikes the element 53, as previously described, and thereby communicates power through the ratchet mechanism to the cutting devices 20 and 21 as shown and described. Thus the actuation of the cutting devices or cutting means is independent of the feed belts, but with the arrangement shown and described the automatic control of the feed devices, so far as the raising and lowering of the feed devices is concerned, is dependent upon the feeding motion of the feed belts, or the feeding motion of the blanks themselves, as shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding the blank materials in the desired direction, and binding wire cutting devices having cutting means normally entirely above the plane of the box blanks and automatically controlled and operated by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism to sever the wire connecting the blank ahead with the blank behind, whereby the power to cut the wire is transmitted through said mechanism.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said binding wire cutting devices comprising cutting means adapted to move from normal position into an operative position between two adjacent blanks, thereby to cut the wires holding the two blanks together, and actuating means for said devices adapted for operation by the back stroke of said ratchet mechanism.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said means for feeding the blank materials ineluding an endless feed belt, in combination with means to automatically lock said cut-.

ting means in raised position, means con trolled by the feeding movement of said belt to release said cutting means from the normal or raised position thereof, so that said cutting means may move downward into the space between the blanks.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said blank feeding means including an endless feed belt having feed dogs thereon provided with cams, in combination with means to normally lock said cutting means in raised position, and means engaged by said cams to automatically release said cutting means from the raised position thereof.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with means for locking said wire cutting means in raised position, and means controlled by the forward feeding motion of the blank materials to automatically release said cutting means from the raised position thereof.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, in combination with means for locking said wire cutting means in normal position, and means controlled by the forward feeding motion of the blank materials to automatically releasesaid cutting, means from the normal position thereof, thereby to bring said cutting means into action.

7. A structure as specified in claim 1, comprising means whereby said cutting means are actuated by the back stroke of said ratchet mechanism.

8. A structure as specified in claim 1, comprising means whereby said cutting means are raised out of operative position by the forward stroke of said ratchet mechanism.

9. A structure as specified in claim 1, -omprising an endless feed belt forming part of said work feeding means to feed the blank materials forward, and means on said belt to control the action of said binding wire cutting means.

10. In a wire bound boX blank machine, the combination of a work feeding belt to feed the blank materials forward, binding wire cuttin means, means operable by mo- .tion of said belt to render said cutting means operative, and means to operate said belt and to actuate the cutting means independentlyv of the belt and the blank materials to automatically sever the binding wire between two blanks.

11. Astructure as specified in claim 10, comprising means entirely independent of the work on the machine for automatically restoring the wire cutting means to normal position.

12. A structure as specified in claim 10, comprising means whereby the operation of said wire cutting means is dependent upon the intermissions in the feeding motion of said belt.

13. A structure as specified in claim 10, comprising means whereby restoration of said cutting means to normal position is dependent upon the feeding motion of said belt,

1 1. A structure as specified. in claim 10, comprising a transverse screw threaded rod to connect the cutting means together, adapted to afford lateral adjustment of said cutting means, and means for engaging one end of said rod to actuate the cutting means.

15. A structure as specified in claim 10, in combination with means for raising the blank which is being severed or disconnected from the one immediately behind, thereby to help in disengaging the severed blank from the machine, and to raise the binding wires into the cutting means.

16. In a wire bound box blank machine, the combination of binding wire cutting means, actuating means therefor, and means to raise the blank being severed from the one behind, thereby to raise the binding wires into the cutting means.

17. In a wire bound box blank machine, the combination of a plurality of cutting devices for severing the binding wires, each device comprising cutting means adapted to grip and sever the wires, a transverse rod connecting said devices together for simultaneous operation thereof, means whereby said entire cutting means are normally en tirely above the plane of the blanks, means whereby to automatically cause engagement of the wires with said cutting means, and automatically operated means to engage one end of said rod to simultaneously operate said cutting devices.

. 18. In a wire bound box blank machine, the combination of binding wire cutting means, actuating means therefor, and means automatically to raise the binding wires into the cutting means.

19. In a wire bound box blank machine, binding wire cutting means normally in raised position independently of any work on the machine, work feeding means to feed the blank materials forward, means operated thereby to automatically release said wire cutting means, and means actuated by said work feeding means independently of the blanks to actuate the cutting means to cut the binding wires. 1 r

20. In a wire bound boX blank machine, the combination of work feeding means to feed the blank materials forward, whereby the blanks are discharged successively from the rear end of the machine, means to raise the blank being discharged to clear it from the machine, and means to out the wires between the raised blank and the one behind.

21. A machine for making wire bound box blanks,'comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism" for feeding. the blank materials in the desired direction, binding wire cutting means automatically controlled by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism, said means for feeding the blank materials comprising an endless feed belt, in combination with means to auto matically lock said cutting means in raised position, means controlled by the feeding movement of said belt to release said cutting means from said locking means, so that said cutting means may move downward into the space between the blanks, and means excluding said belt and operated by said ratchet mechanism to. operate said de vices to cut the wire.

22. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding the blank materials in the desired direction, binding wire cutting means automatically controlled by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism, said blank feeding means comprising an endless feed belt having feed dogs thereon provided with cams in combination with means to normally lock said cut ting means in raised position, means excluding said belt and operated by said ratchet mechanism to operate said devices to cut the wire, and means engaged by said cams to automatically release said cutting means from said locking means.

23. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding the blank materials in the desired direction, binding wire cutting means automatically controlled by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism, in combination with means for locking said wire cutting means in raised position, means controlled by the forward feeding motion of the blank materials to automatically release said cutting means from said locking means, and means excluding said belt and operated by said ratchet mechanism to operate said devices to cut the wire.

24. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding. the blank materials in the desired direction, binding wire cutting means automatically controlled by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism, in combination with means for locking said wire cutting means in normal position, means controlled by the forward feeding motion of the blank materials to automatically release said cutting means from the said locking means, and means excluding said belt and operated by said ratchet mechanism to operate said devices to cut the wire.

25. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding the blank materials in the desired direction, and binding wire cutting means automatically controlled by the action of said ratchet feed mechanism, and means whereby said cutting means are raised to the normal position thereof by the forward stroke of said ratchet mechanism.

26. In a wile bound box blank machine, the co1nl: ination of a work feeding belt to feed the blank materials forward, a plurality of binding wire cutting means, means operable by one engagement with means on said belt to auton'iatically cause the operation of the cutting means to sever the binding wires between two blanks, comprising a ransverse screw threaded rod to connect said means together, adapted to afford lateral adjustment of said cutting means, and means for engaging one end of said rod to actuate the cutting means.

27. In a wire bound box blank machine, the combination of a work feeding belt to feed the blank materials forward, engaging means thereon, a binding wire cutter, means operable by one engagement with saidengaging means to automatically cause the operation of the cutter to sever the binding wire between two blanks, and means for raising the blank which is being severed or disconnected from the one immediately behind, thereby to help in disengaging the severed blank from the machine, and to raise the binding wires into the cutter.

28. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising binding wire applying mechanism, mechanism comprising endless feed belts for feeding box blanks to said binding wire applying mechanism, a cutter provided with severing means held normally in position above the box blanks, means to lock said cutter in raised position, means controlled from said belts to release said cutter and permit the cutter to move into-cutting position into the space between the blanks, and means excluding said belts and operated by said feeding mechanism to actuate the wire severing means of said: cutter when the same is in cutting position.

29. A structure as specified 'in claim 28, said means to lock said cutter in raised position being automatic in action.

30. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising binding wire applying mechanism, mechanism for feeding box blanks to said binding wire applying mechanism, a binding wire cutter provided with wire severing means normally held in position out of the path of travel of said'blanks, means whereby the motion of said box blank feeding mechanism is operative for releasing said cutter to permit the same to move into cutting position in the space between box blanks, and means operated by said feeding mechanism independently of the blanks for actuating the wire severing means of said cutter when the same is in cutting position.

31. A structure as specified in claim 80, in which the normal position of the cutter is a position above the path of the box blanks.

32. In a wire bound box blank machine, the combination of cutting means for severing the wires between blanks, and automatic instrumentalities for causing the wires to be moved out of the plane of the top surface of the blank behind, in order to facilitate severing of the wires to disconnect the blank ahead.

33. A structure as specified in claim 32, said instrumentalities serving to lift the wires at the points to be cut a distance above said plane.

34. A machine for making wire bound box blanks, comprising means including a ratchet feed mechanism for feeding the box blank materials in the desired direction, binding wire cutting means automatically actuated by said ratchet feed mechanism, and means for causing said ratchet feed mechanism to raise said cutting means to its normal position by the forward stroke of said mechanism.

In a wire bound box blank machine, the cmnbination of a Work feeding belt to feed the blank materials forward, a plurality of binding wire cutting means, a transverse screw threaded rod connecting said cutting means together and adapted to afford lateral adjustment thereof, means on said belt for automatically causing the operation of said cutting means to sever the binding wires between two blanks, and means engaging one end of said transverse rod for actuating the cutting means.

EDWARD CRAIG. 

